Ditch
A town of British protestants in the predominately catholic Papal States, Ditch is indictitive of some towns gained in the Saltlands Wars. Formerly an open town run by traders from The Royal Dominion, the town was conquered by Oscar Montera during the war. History Ditch was originally conceived as a trade post to better exploit the natives of the Saltlands, by several British traders. To this end they choose one of their number and hired a half-dozen hands and four guards, as well as preparing two wagons of goods and a high-powered radio. The merchant chosen was Douglas Howell, a man who specialized in general goods. Howell and his caravan arrived without incident at a spot in the Saltlands near the papal border, and constructed a small adobe trade post and bunkhouse. The first customers were not native tribals however, but raiders just returned from a raid against border villages. Regardless, Howell treated them warmly and did good business with them. He radioed his fellows in the south about this success, and received praise, along with a few words of caution. The trade post, which was named 'Ditch' by the guards there, due to a large ditch nearby continued to operate in this fashion for another year before expanding. This came about due to demands from the Comancheros that made up their clientele for liquor, and another trader headed north to satisfy this want. She brought with her another dozen persons, and a wagon load of copper and agave cuttings.Victoria Edwards arrived in mid-2191 and immediately set about constructing an adobe cantina with a still in the basement, and planted the agave in a small field. Ditch continued to grow in this abrupt manner for the next three decades, until it was a small village. It was in 2221 that Ditch had their first trouble with the Comancheros, with a jefe named Metzcal demanding that the merchants pay him tribute. The brits refused and radioed for dominion troops to help them. The dominion while sympathetic to it's traders' plight, was unable to maintain a garrison that far into the Saltlands. The traders then hired fourteen gun-hands and disguised them as caravan workers, and as meztcal's band stopped this particular wagon, they were unprepared for the resulting shootout. The mercenaries took few losses compared to the bandits, and those able to received treatment at Ditch. Metzcal's band was broken and was soon destroyed by rivals. Ditch continued to service bandits and raiders, though now the guns were kept a little closer to their hands. Families began to grow in the 2230s, as the traders married local tribals, or imported their relatives from the south. The town expanded a little more to adjust to this, with a clothing shop added that catered primarily for the residents. During that time a larger crop of corn was planted and a well was dug, as well as a town hall being constructed for the villagers to gather. Despite all this the town remained open, and raiders and tribals continued to frequent it on their way to from and from raids. This changed in 2265, with the declaration of the Southern Crusade, by the Papal States. Days later a papal warband led by Oscar Montera arrived in Ditch, with the locals mistaking them for Comancheros. When it was discovered they were papists however, the locals became upset and told them to leave. This soon escalated, and a gunfight broke out. After a break several minutes, a group of villagers approached the Catholics who were holed in the cantina, but were fired on unprovoked, with several of them dying. To compound the town's troubles, a group of hostile Lipan entered the town on the warpath, and began to assault the ad-hoc militia as well. The Catholics burst out of the cantina in the confusion and drove off the lipan and made the town surrender, and swear their allegiance to the Pope in Soto La Marina. Forced with death, the town grudgingly accepted, and have been vassals of the realm since. To make matters worse, they have been banned from catering to comancheros, drying up much of their economy. It has been hoped that with the increase turbulence in the states that they may be able to reassert their independence, but that still appears a distant hope. Government Ditch is ran by an elected mayor for a two year term, with campaigns and voting informal. The position deals mainly with disputes between citizens and the rare criminal act. Unlike other towns in the Papal States, there is no cardinal for Ditch, due to the religious beliefs of the town, which also entitles the mayor to vote for pope, though it was not exercised when Pious passed as a sign of protest. Economy For most of it's existence Ditch operated as an 'open town' catering to bandits & raiders, primarily in liqour, beds, and medicine. After it's conquest however it has had to switch to subsistence farming and ranching, and an occasional role as a resting point for mining convoys heading to and from the saltlands. Culture Ditch is a proudly British town, despite their separation with the Dominion, and reflect that in outlook and attitude. They are also staunchly protestant and chaff under Papal rule, especially since their primary source of income disappeared. Despite having been an open town they are very family focused, with many being related to the others. They speak Spanglish primarily, though some formal ceremonies are conducted in English, dating back to their founding. Category:Communities Category:Tamaulipas